AI-Driven Searches: The Future is Here, but Google Still Holds the Reins
By Karolin Rothbart
Anticipated Google-Themed Melody To Be Released Shortly
In a surprising twist, Apple's top dog, Eddy Cue, sent Google's camp scrambling. During an antitrust hearing against the search engine empire, Cue, Apple's Senior Vice President of Services, hinted at Google's possible decline. And it's not just talk—in April, we saw the first drop in Google searches on Apple devices in a whopping 22 years. But why the sudden shift?
You guessed it—AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are taking over! Apple is eyeing integrating these intelligent tools into its native browser, Safari, in the near future. The move aims to steer the spotlight away from the rumblings about a potential ban on a gold mine partnership with Google, which pocketed Apple around $20 billion last year, all thanks to Setting Google as Safari’s default search engine[1][4].
A Cannily Calculated Move?
Jefferies analyst Brent Thill raised an intriguing point about the case—Apple seems to be highlighting data suggesting Google doesn't stifle competition in web search, pushing the idea that these AI chatbots could be the future of search[2]. We should take these claims with a pinch of salt, however. Even though the AI tech is all the rage, these chatbots are far from perfect. In fact, a study by the Columbia Journalism Review in April found that some of these shiny new AI tools, including ChatGPT and Perplexity, often whip up false answers[1][4].
Tackling the Trust Issue
This is a sticky wicket that won't be ironed out overnight. The long and short of it is, until users can trust in AI’s accuracy, they'll likely continue to gravitate toward tried-and-true search engines like Google. The situation is of interest to potential advertisers as well, as traditional search engines might hold onto their market power for a time.
The road to complete trust is still long, but AI's potential can’t be ignored. Until then,Google’s 80-90% market share in April may act as a temporary shield[1][4]. The digital landscape is slowly but surely shifting, and it will be exciting to see how AI alters the search and advertising game in the long run.
Enrichment Data:
Recent data and industry analysis indicate a notable shift in user search behavior on Apple devices, with Google search queries on Safari declining for the first time in 22 years as of April 2025[1][4]. This decline has been attributed in part to the growing use of AI-driven search alternatives such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, which are increasingly integrated into user workflows and devices[1][5].
Despite this trend on Apple devices, Google CEO Sundar Pichai maintains that overall Google Search activity remains robust, with query growth across platforms fueled by AI-driven features like the Search Generative Experience (SGE)[3]. He argues that the evolving search landscape is not a zero-sum game, emphasizing that new AI-powered experiences can coexist with or even complement traditional search, much as YouTube continued to thrive after the rise of TikTok[3].
However, the potential for Apple and other major device manufacturers (such as Samsung) to replace Google as the default search engine—whether with their own AI-powered solutions or by partnering with services like Perplexity—represents a significant threat to Google’s market dominance, given the vast volume of mobile traffic these partnerships command[1][5]. If such changes occur, Google could lose a substantial portion of ad impressions and revenue, directly impacting its core business[1][5].
The AI-driven search tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are becoming more integrated in Apple's native browser, Safari, threatening Google's dominance in the search business. Despite Jefferies analyst Brent Thill's claim that Apple is highlighting AI chatbots as the future of search, the traditional search engines like Google might hold onto their market power due to users' reliance on their accuracy.
The potential for AI-powered search solutions to replace Google as the default search engine on devices like Apple and Samsung could lead to a significant revenue loss for Google, impacting its core business.
